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Student learning is the heart of education—understanding what really works and why is essential to fostering and sustaining success. UEI's work addresses questions like what approaches can dramatically improve early literacy, how attendance is critically linked to academic outcomes, and the ways in which different policy decisions have affected student outcomes over time.

Research has shown that teachers who support and challenge students with ambitious instruction are essential for school improvement. With a portfolio that spans from in-depth studies on the successes and flaws of real-world teacher evaluation systems to a teacher education program with 90 percent of graduates remaining in urban schools after five years—far exceeding the national retention rate of 50 percent—UEI works across its different domains to illuminate, model, and share what schools and educators need to succeed.

Effective schooling needs leaders—both inside and outside the classroom—who champion strong supports and sensible accountability for initiatives that matter. UEI's success stories such as Freshmen On Track and the high-achieving UChicago Charter NKO Campus are just two examples that demonstrate the potential impact when systems to monitor and support positive change are helmed by leaders who empower colleagues to make a difference.

Understanding schools as organizations illuminates the mechanisms and high-impact levers that drive school improvement. The Consortium's seminal research found that strength on five essential organizational supports were highly correlated with whether schools continued improving student learning. UEI's work also explores the impact of school closings and turnarounds, school disciplinary policies, and the charter model, while many of UEI's resources are designed to help schools build their organizational capacity to take on the day-to-day challenges of schooling.

Propelling more students to and through high school and college is one of our key pillars for significantly improving schools. As it becomes increasingly clear that receiving a post-secondary education is necessary to prosper in modern society, UEI has amassed resources, expertise, and years of research demonstrating what works in improving high school and college attainment. In 2014, UEI also launched The To&Through Project to empower educators, families, and policymakers with the information they need to support more students on their way through pre-K to 12th grade and on to their bachelor's degrees.

UChicago UTEP’s Secondary Biology certification pathway prepares candidates to teach in the high-need field of science in Chicago Public Schools (CPS). It is a five-year experience that includes two years of preparation and three years of post-graduation supports.

Graduates receive Illinois Initial Secondary (09) teaching certification and a general science endorsement for grades 6-8, qualifying them to teach middle school science (e.g., life science, earth science, and physical science) and high school biology and related sciences (e.g., ecology, human genetics, and evolution). Secondary Biology graduates take sufficient credit hours to be on track for the highly qualified teachers (HQT) designation.

Distinctive Program Features

Coursework designed and taught by distinguished faculty from the world-renowned University of Chicago Division of Biological Sciences coupled with methods courses in culturally relevant instruction

A part-time, three-quarter foundations year (Year 1) in which students take a sequence that integrates fieldwork, tutoring, academic and methods coursework, and a unique soul strand. Students may enroll as full-time students if they need or wish to take additional coursework in the biological sciences.

Three-years of post-graduation supports geared to beginning-teacher needs, including in-classroom coaching, workshops, inquiry groups, and an online community

A cohort structure that enables students to complete coursework and fieldwork together, share experiences of their work with youths, and support each other’s continued learning through UChicago UTEP’s post-graduation programming